The rantings of a bookaholic over a cup of coffee

Witches and witchcraft

Today it’s ok to be a Wicca or a Pagan (not really sure if there is a difference or not, so please forgive me if I’m talking crap here and feel free to correct me). Most people don’t care if you pray to a Goddess or if you wear Celtic knots on a necklace (don’t understand why these are associated to paganism, one day I will take the time to read about it). Either way, this has opened doors to a large variety of books on witches and witchcraft, covens and warlocks and so much more. You even have a choice between white magic and dark magic. I’ve read quite a few good ones and enjoyed them, I particularly enjoyed Harry Potter and wished that I was a kid and that there really was a Hogwarts, I would have loved that. Moving on… here is some not so pleasant history for the poor souls who suffered the wrath of ignorance and fear.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY – On 26th May 1647 AD, Alse Young became the first person executed as a witch in the British American colonies. Like many similar cases of witchcraft, Alse Young was a woman without a son when the accusation was lodged, which implied that she would be eligible to receive through inheritance her husband’s estate. Alse Young was hanged at the Meeting House Square in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1642, witchcraft became punishable by death in the Connecticut Colony. This capital offense was backed by references to the King James version of the Bible: Exodus (22:18) says, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. And Leviticus (20:27) says, A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood (shall be) upon them. In Connecticut, witchcraft was last listed as a capital crime in 1715. Although Connecticut may not have experienced the same level of hysteria as Salem Massachusetts, Alse Young was not the last person hanged for witchcraft. Her own daughter, Alice Young, was hanged for witchcraft some 30 years later. The crime of witchcraft disappeared from the list of capital crimes when the laws were next issued in 1750.